When these hooks and hangers became coated with paint and needed cleaning, they were immersed in
methylene chloride, a paint remover.
The search for a replacement for
methylene chloride led to several substitutes, such as N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) and dibasic esters (DBE).
Affected sources are those facilities that generate or produce the following HAPs of concern above the OSHA thresholds: 1,3-butadiene, 1,3-dichloropropene, acetaldehyde, chloroform, ethylene dichloride, hexachlorobenzene,
methylene chloride, quinoline, hydrazine and compounds of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese.
To provide customers with an additional alternative to trichloroethylene which meets their individual cleaning requirements, beside DOWPER MC perchloroethylene and DOWCLENE modified alcohols, Dow and SAFECHEM decided to invest into the development of a new
methylene chloride brand for the industrial cleaning market: MECTHENE MC--The alternative cleaning solution.
The product contained
methylene chloride (at least 60%), methanol, and mineral spirits.
Table 1 PROPERTY Vertrel SDG HCFC141b
Methylene chloride TCE Boiling point 43 29.4 39.8 87 Specific gravity 1.29 1.22 1.32 1.45 KB value 95 56 136 129 Surf.Ten (dyn/cm) 19.9 18.5 27.2 28.7 ODP 0 0.11 0 0 Exp.
* Decaf Processes--Water and
Methylene Chloride Markets-Worldwide
Methylene Chloride and Perchloroethylene have emission limits to comply with by October 2007.
One was called trichlorethelyne and the other one,
methylene chloride. In the long term it proved that trichlorethelyne had to be banned by the Food and Drug Administration because apparently it did not disappear in the decaffeination process and too many parts per million were left to consider it safe.
The rule applies to all area source coatings, adhesive, and ink area source manufacturing operations that have the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes 325510, 325520, and 325910/325998 and that use, generate, or produce the following HAPs of concern: benzene,
methylene chloride, compounds of cadmium, chromium, lead, or nickel--above the OSHA thresholds.